THE ATENEO Lady Eagles put on a masterclass in Game 1 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 82 Women’s Badminton Finals against the De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Archers, 3-2, on Friday, October 4, at the Centro Atletico Badminton Hall in Quezon City. The victory places the team one win away from back-to-back championships.

First to grace the court was Ateneo Team Captain Chanelle Lunod, who went head-to-head against DLSU’s Iyah Sevilla in the First Singles match. Despite controlling the match early, Lunod surrendered the first set by a narrow margin, 20-22. Sevilla dictated the tempo in the second set to steal the first team-tie point from the favored Blue and White, 21-17. 

The second singles duel saw standout rookie Mika De Guzman square off against Lady Archer Kana Baba. De Guzman found a way to offset her opponents play after suffering an 18-21 first set loss, turning in a 21-15 victory in the second set. She followed it up with another fantastic run in the match’s decider, 21-14, and locked the team-tie at one-all.

Lunod and Joella De Vera combined forces in hopes of giving Ateneo the advantage against DLSU’s Palma Cruz and Shaynne Boloron. The Lady Eagle pairing nailed a straight-set victory, 21-13, 21-19, to snag Ateneo’s second victory of the day.

The Second Doubles showdown featured De Guzman and Sam Ramos fighting to put the team-tie to bed against DLSU’s Sevilla and Baba. Despite their valiant efforts, De Guzman and Ramos let the match escape their grip. The Lady Archer duo leveled the team-tie after taking the match, 21-11, 21-17.

In the final and deciding match of the day, De Vera suited up against DLSU’s Mia Manguilimotan. The veteran Lady Eagle remained unfazed and kept her composure, sealing the win with a stellar 21-18, 21-14 run to secure the team-tie, 3-2, and put the Blue and White on the brink of back-to-back titles.

The Lady Eagles will play the second game of their best-of-three finals series against DLSU at 1:00 PM on Saturday, October 5 at the Camp Crame Gymnasium.

Team-tie Score: Ateneo 3 DLSU 2

Match Scores:

First Singles: Iyah Sevilla (DLSU) defeated Chanelle Lunod (Ateneo) 2-0: 22-20, 21-17.

Second Singles: Mika De Guzman (Ateneo) defeated Kana Baba (DLSU) 2-1: 18-21, 21-15, 21-14.

First Doubles: Chanelle Lunod and Joella De Vera (Ateneo) defeated Palma Cruz and Shaynne Boloron (DLSU) 2-0: 21-13  21-19

Second Doubles: Iyah Sevilla and Kana Baba (DLSU) defeated Sam Ramos and Mika De Guzman (Ateneo) 2-0: 21-11, 21-17 

Third Singles: Joella De Vera (Ateneo) defeated Mia Manguilimotan (DLSU) 2-0: 21-18, 21-14.